This invention relates generally to the field of collapsible reusable shipping containers of the type described in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,737 of Apr. 13, 1969, and a more recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,226 of Feb. 6, 1981. More particularly it relates to an improved form thereof.
Such shipping containers are used principally for air and truck transport, where space and weight considerations are of substantially greater importance than the cost of fabrication, particularly when the container may be reused as many as one half dozen times before it becomes so worn that it must be discarded. However, in recent years, the cost of manufacture has increased substantially, and is now a factor of more than nominal importance.
In the abovementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,226, there is disclosed a collapsible container with a simplified cardboard pallet which costs less to manufacture and requires less space when stored. My copending application, Ser. No. 06/257,127, filed Apr. 24, 1981, (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,049) describes an improvement over this container in the provision of a reinforced base particularly suited for resisting outwardly directed forces caused by fluid or particulate loads.
However, all of the abovementioned constructions require, for convenience in folding, a side wall height which is no greater than one half the horizontal length of the longer side walls of the container when in erected condition. This restriction permits the use of a scored fold line disposed at approximately forty five degrees to the horizontal, commencing at one corner of each side wall, which, when folded, places the end walls in approximately abutted condition without overlapping, and permits the still erected lid or cover to neatly overlie and protect the side and end walls of the body of the container during the return shipment thereof.
There are, however, many occasions in which it is desirable to provide a collapsible container of the instant type in which the height thereof is substantially greater than one half the length, due to such considerations as the configuration of the article to be shipped, the configuration of the shipping vehicle, convenience in loading and the like. While it is always possible to design a carton with side walls of desired proportions, convenience in folding without the necessity of disconnecting one wall from another, not only reduces labor, but enhances the useful life of the container as well.